140 



CANADIAK HORTICULTURLST. 



wirewonn, works a deal of mischief ; 

 have seen snow lie till late in the 

 spring, and form into a mass of solid 

 ice, under it the grass would be killed ; 

 it seemed to rot, probably from want 

 of air. AVould recommend Mr. Craig 

 to dig up the bare spots and incorporate 

 some new soil, resod or sow with lawn 



seed. _^_ 



Coal Ashes. 



64. Coal ashes are strongly recf>mmended for 

 pear trees, etc. Is it necessary to apply manure 

 also ?-W. W. R., Toronto. 



Coal ashes are of little or no value 

 as a fertilizer. Their chief value for 

 pear trees would be as a mulch, serving 

 to keep the ground moist, and thus 

 promote growth. If the soil needs en- 

 riching, certainly coal ashes would not 

 make it so. Wood ashes are a very 

 valuable fertilizer for all orchard trees, 

 including the pear, because it is about 

 one-tenth potash, a substance which 

 constitutes about one-half the ash of 

 the fruit, while the rest of it is chiefly 

 lime and phosphoric acid, elements 

 which also largely enter into the com- 

 position of fruits. With wood ashes, 

 there will be no need of any other 

 manure; indeed, the nitrogen of barn- 

 yard manure tends to promote too raj^id 

 and succulent a growth of the pear, and 

 predisposes it to blight. 



Grape Sypup, op Condensed Must. 



Reply to QueMion No. 15. 



The Wine and Fruit Grower, a 

 monthly journal published in New 

 York city in the interest of wine mak- 

 ers and vineyardists, replies to question 

 1.5 as follows : — 



" We presume the inquirer is talking 

 about condensed grape must. Any fruit 

 juice containing sugar can be condensed 

 into a sugar or syrup by the application 

 of heat. But as great chemical changes 

 are wrought by the heat, it is of the 

 first importance that it should be ap- 

 plied in such a manner as to preserve 

 the constituents of the must in their 



original relations as nearly as possible. 

 This cannot be done by "boiling," as 

 maple syrup or sugar is made ; it must 

 be done by the application of heat in 

 such a way that the temperature at no 

 time exceeds 140° Fahrenheit. If the 

 higher temperature is reached, the con- 

 stituents are broken down and return 

 to their original elements, and the vol- 

 atile oils containing the bouquet is dis- 

 sipated by evaporation. The product 

 will then have a cooked or burnt taste 

 and smell, and become flat and insipid, 

 and the mineral salts only will remain 

 unchanged. It is clear, therefore, that 

 a method should be adopted by which 

 evaporation could be secured at a low 

 temperature, and this has been done. 

 Two processes have been patented — 

 one an Italian invention known as the 

 Yaryan process, and a German known 

 as the Springmuhl process ; both are in 

 operation in California, and 1000 tons 

 of grape must was condensed this season 

 and shipped to London. 



" Now as to how it may be done by 

 simpler or home-made appliances, our 

 correspondent will see that it will be 

 necessary to have a jacket-kettle, or 

 evaporating pan, so arranged that the 

 must shall be protected from direct fire 

 heat by a column of water, and that a 

 thermometer must ))e kept in the fluid 

 con.stantly so as to watch and regulate 

 the degree of heat. The best apparatus 

 would doubtless be a jacket-kettle made 

 of copper, so arranged that the must 

 could be stirred, as the stirring would 

 shorten the operation. This answers 

 the first and second question. 



" Now as to where to purchase such 

 an apparatus, we presume it could be 

 got at any copper-woiker's shop where 

 distillery and sugar-house utensils are 

 made. Coppersmiths are to be found 

 in all cities. 



" The fourth and last question involves 

 several considerations. It may be said 

 there is no regular market demand for 

 condensed grape must. The fact that 

 the must from 600 tons of grapes used 



